Dry leaf aroma: Sweet and grassy.Wet leaf aroma: Vegetal with hints of spinach and sweetness.Preparation: 1.5 tsp in 10 ounces of water, brewed western style in a ceramic infuser mug.

First steeping: 2 minutes at 175 degrees.
This Mao Feng is delightfully mellow with a buttery and delicate vegetal taste. I detect undertones of chestnut at the end of the sip, and as the cup cools there are notes of creamy water chestnut.

Second steeping:3 minutes at 175 degrees.
The second steeping has deleveloped a lovely creaminess and has taken on more of a water chestnut undertone. There is a very slight vegetal tang at the end of the sip.

I’ve placed an order for tea from Vietnam at the appropriately named teafromvietnam.com. So few people in the west get to expereience tea from this region so I am excited for this opportunity to review several delicious-sounding teas! My order includes:

Where does your tea come from? If you are a fan of Indian teas, you might want to consider the source carefully. The BBC recently conducted an investigation into the working and living conditions of Indian’s tea plantations and the findings were disturbing. The article is worth reading all the way through.

Adagio Teas provides an excellent online tutorial for those who wish to learn more about tea. They offer three tiers of classes, all free, ranging from beginner to advanced. The lessons are broken into easy-to-complete sections so you can learn at your own pace.

First/only steeping:5 minutes at 210 degrees.
Such a delightful mixtures of aromas – cocoa, malt, dark fruit, and a subtle smoky undertone. At first the smokiness scared me after my previous smoky Keemun experience, but this is a sweeter, more subtle smokiness, not a raw in-your-face smoky. The taste is just as complex as the aroma with notes of cocoa, malt, smokiness, prunes, and something I can only identify as a biting spiciness (pepper?). The aftertaste is slightly bitter with a lingering tartness. After the cup has cooled I notice a breadiness to the flavor and the smokiness is weaker.

Notes:
It is somewhat odd to me that this tea hasn’t been reviewed in 3 years on Steepster. C’est la vie! I did a second stepping but was so stuffed up after my husband mowed the lawn that I don’t trust my nose or taste buds to accurately post notes about it. It was good though! I keep calling this tea sultry, it seems to fit.

I am still amazed at how much the same general style of tea can vary. I think this is part of my attraction and I certainly enjoy the discovery of each variation!

Dry leaf aroma: Black currants with notes of plum and a delicate floral undertone. Wet leaf aroma: Very much like the dry leaf aroma – black currants and floral. Preparation: Brewed western style in a glass infuser mug.

First/only steeping:4 minutes at 195 degrees.
The freshly brewed liquor has a delicate floral aroma. While the cup is hot the dominate flavor is black currants, with hints of licorice, plum and a mild floral note. As the cup cools the floral note disappears and there is a tart aftertaste.